Dearborn Heights Mayor Daniel Paletko easily wins re-election

Nov. 6, 2013

Daniel Paletko / Andre Jackson/Detroit Free Press

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Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Daniel Paletko easily won another term as Dearborn Heights mayor today, besting Councilwoman Janet Badalow in a contest that put the two on different sides of where the city should be headed.

Paletko led late tonight with 64% of the vote to 35% for Badalow, according to unofficial numbers.

Badalow said she was running because blight and little to no city ordinance regulation have made her longtime home unrecognizable. She mentioned a recent dog attack in which a pit bull killed a poodle. Police arrived later and shot the larger dog to death.

It could have been avoided with a visit from animal control, she said. Paletko eliminated the city’s animal control officer several budgets ago.

Paletko, 62, who was first sworn in as mayor in 2004, highlighted his efforts to work with the community on making sure the city didn’t succumb to the “depression-like” conditions that hit many Michigan municipalities when the economy tanked. That’s why the city ended the previous fiscal year with a $3.2 million surplus, he said.

“Being able to have the community assist us, and being able to have labor and management to work together was big here,” he said recently. “It’s the secret to my success. Blending our talents for different goals has made us a better city.”

He’s ran again, he said, because with the budget stabilized, he wants to build on other successes.

“I think we have the skills to run a good, responsible city,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to do new things.”